The 2013-2014 Writers Series at Sweet Briar College will open with a reading by visiting assistant professor of creative writing Nell Boeschenstein at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, in the Browsing Room in Mary Helen Cochran Library. The event is free and open to the public.

A Charlottesville native, Boeschenstein recently left her job at NPR to return to academia.

“I missed teaching and engaging with students and colleagues about that which I love most: writing,” she said.

Boeschenstein has taught at Columbia University before and will now be in charge of creative nonfiction courses at Sweet Briar.

What is she most excited about?

“The conversations I’ll have with the students and faculty about the work we’re doing together and independently. I’m looking forward to bouncing ideas around and hearing different perspectives, and engaging with readings that I truly believe make the world a better place — even if that sounds corny.”

While the subject of her reading on Sept. 17 remains a surprise, Boeschenstein hopes it will strike a chord with her young audience.

“I hope whatever I choose to read will convey a sense of my aesthetic and enthusiasm to the students and that it will, in turn, inspire them in their own writing and reading.”

Boeschenstein holds degrees from Dartmouth College and Columbia University, and served as the associate producer of online media for the NPR radio program “Fresh Air.” Her essays have appeared in The Rumpus, This Recording, The Millions and The Morning News, where she is a contributing writer. Before joining the faculty at Sweet Briar, she was a visiting writer in the College’s Creative Writing Conference, which is held each spring.